Latest Gear Live Videos

According to The New York Times, Apple is going full-force in negotiations with record labels in an effort to get its new streaming music service (which many refer to as iRadio) in position to be announced, and possibly launched, at WWDC next week. The report states that Apple has already signed deals with both the Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group for rights to recorded music and publishing. The holdout is Sony Music Entertainment, which seems to want a bigger cut of the profits. Of course, if Apple can convince Sony to sign, then its music service will be stocked with all the popular music users will expect, without any glaring holes.

There are no solid details on Apple's streaming service, and there won't be until it is formally announced by the company itself. That said, rumors point to it being similar in vein to Pandora, rather than a Spotify/Rdio competitor. In other words, it will be a radio service rather than one where you get to pick and choose exactly which track(s) you want to listen to at a given moment. The service would be supported by iAd, with advertisements interspersed into the listening experience, like Pandora.

Advertisement

Apple is set to reveal iOS 7 at WWDC in two weeks, and sources have provided details on radical interface changes made to Apple's mobile device software. 9to5Mac reports that Jony Ive, Apple Senior Vice President of Industrial Design (in charge of both Apple hardware and software design,) has led the charge in giving iOS an entirely fresh coat of paint.

People familiar with the matter are describing iOS 7 as "black, white, and flat all over." In other words, the skeuomorphic textures are going away in favor of a new black and white interface that does away with a lot of the over-the-top shininess and glossiness.

For the upcoming operating system, which Apple says will be unveiled at its June Worldwide Developers Conference, Ive has not simply picked areas of the software design to tweak. He has essentially made his mark on every corner of the operating system, according to descriptions from sources, all while mostly keeping the essence of what has made iOS so ubiquitous.

Apple is set to show off OS X 10.9 at WWDC 2013 (which sold out in less than two minutes this year) and the current rumors point to the inclusion of a tabbed Finder and iOS-style multitasking that will allow background apps to pause, freeing system resources up for the apps you are using at the time. Additionally, the Mission Control complaint that users with multiple monitors have been complaining about since the release of OS X 10.7 Lion will finally be addressed--if you have multiple monitors, you'll be able to have a space open on each one.

Other rumor mill nuggets point to both Siri and Apple Maps making their OS X debuts as well. We'll know more on June 10 when WWDC kicks off!

We told you that WWDC 2013 tickets would go quick, but we didn't think it would be this fast. WWDC tickets last year sold out in under two hours. Today? They sold out in under 2 minutes. Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is now officially sold out, so if you missed it, you'll have to settle for videos of the conference program. There's always next year.

Tickets for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference are now on sale. Last year, WWDC tickets sold out within two hours of going on sale, and that was without a pre-announcement of when they'd drop. This year, in an attempt to make sure everyone is ready, the company announced yesterday that tickets would go on sale this morning. Apple will show off both OS X 10.9 and iOS 7 at the event, with developer preview betas being available that same day. If you want to be there, we suggest you go get your tickets. Like, right now. In fact, it may already be too late.

In order to buy a ticket, you've gotta me a member of Apple's iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program, or the Mac Developer Program as of yesterday's announcement. You can buy one ticket per person, or five per organization, and they cost $1,599 each.

Apple has confirmed that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 10-14th at Moscone West in San Francisco. During yesterday's Q2 2013 Apple earnings call, Tim Cook made sure to set expectations by indicating that the company looks forward to releasing new hardware, software, and services this fall, and throughout 2014. In other words, don't expect any new iPhone or iPad to be announced at the summer blockbuster event. That said, Phil Shiller says that its "developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we're excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps," adding, "we can't wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC." So there you have it--WWDC will see the unveiling of Mac OS X 10.9, and iOS 7, both of which should be made available to developers on June 10 in preview form. Tickets for WWDC go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM PDT.